The nation of Syria has long been in turmoil. High levels of poverty and corruption run rampant throughout the authoritarian regime, starting at the very top with President Assad. Attempting to forge a lasting peace would be a daunting task at the best of times, let alone while the country teeters on the brink of civil war.

Plus now that Syria has captured the international spotlight, who really knows what forces are behind the slaughter of civilians. The Military Industrial Complex would love another invasion to grow fat off of, and sending in ruthless hitsquads to take out a bunch of innocents is one sure fire way to drum up enough support for an armed intervention. It certainly worked in Libya.

And despite the fact that Libyan rebel forces bolstered by NATO were complicit in war crimes, or that Gaddafi has now been replaced by equally despotic tyrants, if the world’s people have to endure too many more photos of child sized corpses next to empty shell casings, Syria could very well be the West’s next disastrous military endeavor.

Less than year ago, Tunisians shocked the world when their successful revolution helped spark the Arab Spring. Now, once again, Tunisia is a beacon of hope for the Arab World and beyond, as the fledgling democracy is set to have its first elections this Sunday.

For many Tunisians, this will be the first time casting a vote. For others, it will be the first time the ballots have more than one person to choose from. How exciting and empowering it must feel to be a young Tunisian right now, filled with hopes and dreams!

Other nations involved in the Arab Spring haven’t fared as well. The people of Egypt, who ousted their corrupt President not long after the Tunisians did, are still struggling to keep military tyrants from seizing control. In Yemen and Syria, protesters are continually butchered by government forces.

Were it not for the Tunisians’ story, one might be inclined to just shut up and endure the injustice. But, seeing how a populist uprising really can work, this should only inspire more repressed peoples from around the world to take up the same struggle for greater equality.

And this is precisely what needs to happen to ensure we reach this great civilization of peace and prosperity that awaits us all – billions of empowered minds from around the world rising up and uniting to make a better future a reality – something that will soon be upon us. Hooray!

In Egypt, Syria, Libya, Bahrain and many other nations, civilians are being violently subjugated by their governments. The western media will sometimes report on these quashed uprisings, but a pressing question usually remains unasked – where do these tyrants get their modern weaponry?

For the most part, the tools of dissident suppression – rifles, tanks, bombs and gunships – aren’t being made domestically. Instead, they’re being imported from any of the world’s international arms dealers, most of whom will transact with anyone that has the cash.

Of course, corner any of the corporations that build these weapons, or any of the politicians who deal with despots, and it is unlikely they will admit any wrongdoings. I mean, come on, who could possibly have conceived that an armor plated vehicle with bulletproof tires and a mounted Gatling gun might be used for human rights violations.

But why would you expect anything other than crooks and cronies running the arms business? When there is billions of dollars changing hands, you just know it’s going to attract all kinds of scumbags.

And that brings us to a simple solution to this problem. In fact, this idea has so much potential that it wouldn’t just prevent the Defense Industry from arming tyrants, it would actually eliminate one of the primary reasons we even have war on earth.

Enough building it up. Here’s the proposal:

A 100% tax on all profits earned from manufacturing the weapons of war.

BLAM! Take that, Military Industrial Complex. You can design and sell all the weapons you want, but don’t expect any more lucrative deals. Now we’ll see if “building democracy”, “fighting terrorists”, and “protecting civilians” is really all that important to the war-mongers when there’s far fewer profits to be made.

What fantastic timing! NATO can claim responsibility for the regime change – even though they went there to ‘protect civilians’ – showing the world what can happen if and when they’re given permission to move on to Syria. (The term ‘move on’ is used here loosely, as NATO forces will likely remain in Libya for years.)

Forget waiting to see what comes of the regime change. Who cares if Libya’s new government is as corrupt as the last. Tunisia,Egypt – they’re both flourishing democracies now, right?

Let’s just go guns blazing, or rather, bombs dropping, into Syria. Why bother even considering alternatives when there are lives to be saved by killing people?

The Canadian government announced today it will be expanding existing sanctions on Syria. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said that Canada will freeze the assets of more people and entities associated with the Syrian government, including the Commercial Bank of Syria.

“The Assad regime has lost all legitimacy by killing Syrian men, women and children to stay in power.” said Baird, “This campaign of terror must stop.”

I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately Assad and his band of thugs have been panting themselves into a corner with blood.

Facing down the choice between an angry mob demanding their heads and an international community who will likely charge them for crimes against humanity, it is no wonder Syria’s regime chooses to continue the massacre.

So if sanctions and interventions are ineffectual, then what’s the solution? Where’s the hope and optimism that I’m supposed to be espousing here?

Well, for one, the Syrian people will persevere until they get the reform they deserve, giving us another testament to the indomitable human spirit and lending inspiration to other repressed peoples of the world.

But the most important thing to take away from the Syrian situation is a lesson: never allow too much power to concentrate into too few hands, because it will likely cost many lives for the people to take the power back.

Perhaps even more telling is that Syria’s crooked establishment has provoked the ire of cyber-activist group Anonymous, who hacked the Syrian Ministry of Defense website in support of the people’s struggle for greater equality.

When Anonymous is pissed at you, you know you done goofed.

If anything positive comes out of the Syrian revolution (besides government reform) hopefully it will be a message to the rest of the world’s tyrants: killing us won’t shut us up anymore.

We know who has the power now – WE DO!

We’re holding the chips, and if those who are fortunate to be allowed to lead should ever dare to disappoint us, heads might literally roll.

“I am appalled by the Syrian government’s use of violence and brutality against its own people,” the president said. “The reports out of Hama are horrifying and demonstrate the true character of the Syrian regime. Once again, President Assad has shown that he is completely incapable and unwilling to respond to the legitimate grievances of the Syrian people.”

As well, the United Nations Security Council has called a meeting to discuss the escalating and appalling situation in Syria.

What… do those meatheads in charge of Syria think they can kill their way to peace? Or do they just not care, thinking the people are like misbehaving children in need of a lesson? Either way, it’s a disgrace to humankind.

Well, the actions of the ruling party and the military are shameful, anyway. But the brave protesters willing to stand in front of bullets and bombs for freedom – they epitomize the human spirit.